A new documentary from OPB shares Indigenous stories revealing Sasquatch as sacred protector
interview by Cathy Carroll
Long before Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, became a pop-culture icon, Indigenous peoples have viewed the mythical creature as a revered relative. They see Bigfoot not as a monster but as a protector—a spiritual being who teaches humans to respect and care for the earth. In Guardian of the Land, Emmy-nominated director LaRonn Katchia (Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute) weaves oral histories about Bigfoot sightings and stories through the work of four leading contemporary Indigenous artists and thought leaders.
The twenty-four-minute film from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) takes viewers on a sensory journey through the Nch’i-Wána, or Columbia River lands, where Indigenous cultures believe Bigfoot has long cast a watchful eye over them.
How did it feel to reclaim that narrative of Sasquatch cinematically, and how did Indigenous oral histories shape your visual and storytelling choices?
Growing up on the Warm Springs reservation, every Native person has a story about Sasquatch. We don’t see Sasquatch as a terrifying creature, but as a relative. The idea of the film came from wanting to share some of those oral histories. I knew I wanted to portray voices from throughout the Pacific Northwest, so I reached out to artists from many different tribes. The film includes perspectives from world-champion jingle dancer Acosia Red Elk (Umatilla People), artist Toma Villa (Yakama Nation), tribal council member Carlos Calica (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) and anthropologist Phillip Cash Cash, Ph.D. (Nez Perce, Cayuse). It felt powerful and healing to finally portray Sasquatch in an honorable, respectful way. These perspectives guided every visual and storytelling choice, reminding us that Sasquatch is both a protector and a relative. Including the feminine essence was especially important—honoring balance, care and the often-overlooked matriarchal presence within our teachings.
What were the biggest creative or practical challenges in the film, especially when working with ideas that resist easy explanation?
One of the biggest challenges was translating ideas that live comfortably in oral tradition but resist easy explanation on screen. Sasquatch isn’t meant to be proven or defined, so the goal was to honor that mystery without over-explaining or sensationalizing it. Creatively, we had to trust our instincts, especially in designing a one-of-a-kind Sasquatch presence inspired by tribes of the Pacific Northwest. That included a beautiful buckskin dress created by Acosia Red Elk and a carved mask shaped by renowned Yakama artist Toma Villa. Every element was made with intention, ensuring the design honored not only our stories of Sasquatch, but our tribal customs as well. Ultimately, we wanted the film to reflect Native ways of knowing, where not everything is meant to be explained, but felt, respected and carried forward.
For viewers with a pop-culture idea of Bigfoot, what do you think will be most surprising—or even disorienting—about the film, and how do you hope it reshapes the way they think about being on the land?
Viewers might be surprised by the absence of fear, spectacle or the need for proof. In many Native and Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest, Bigfoot is not something to be hunted, captured or explained away. It is a living presence, a relative and a teacher that exists alongside the land itself. The film asks viewers to slow down and listen to our stories, the landscapes and the silences in between. My hope is that audiences begin to rethink what it means to be on the land—not as something to conquer or extract from, but as a place of relationship and responsibility. If the film reshapes anything, I hope it encourages respect for the land, for Native knowledge and for the understanding that not everything sacred needs to be seen to be real.
To learn more or watch the film, visit www.opb.org/guardian
